Getting to Know You
by Tif S
Summary: Mild Spoilers for Episode 7 the Force Awakens AU: Rey has finally found Luke Skywalker, but little does she realize that crossing paths with this man who was little more than a myth will significantly alter the balance, and not just against the First Order, but against their own demons and a past they have both tried to escape. Formerly titled Legacy
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hi, I saw the Force Awakens about a week ago, and absolutely loved it. I had so many theories in my head by the end that I had to go and write something. This fic will be focusing on Luke and Rey going back and forth between the past and the present. It picks up where episode 7 left off. Hope you enjoy. Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Disney does and it was the brainchild of George Lucas. He's the one that started it all, so credit goes to him, Disney, Lucasfilms and JJ Abrams. Not me, nope. I'm just playing and exploring theories.**_

 **Chapter One**

He feels her presence before she even disembarks from the ship of that old smuggler that had helped him so long ago. The light he had felt extinguish even from so far away. It hit him like a blaster bolt. Han was gone. It had begun. He feels her coming closer, as he breathes in the fresh cool air, turns and removes his hood.

He sees her then, such a determined stance. There is something awestruck almost reverent in the way she holds out the hilt of the weapon, but there is also a guardedness. She's not sure what to make of him just yet. Just as well, he thinks. To her, he is little more than a myth, a ghost. He sighs internally. Is that really what he had become? He argues with himself. Of course it is. He had vanished with not even a goodbye to his sister, left no clue where they could find him, at least didn't make it easy. He wasn't supposed to though. He keeps his eyes on the girl. If he had, she would never have found him.

He takes the hilt, letting the twinkle in his eyes speak for him as he nods his head toward the small dwelling. He sees her follow, long strides matching pace very neatly with his own. He can feel her stealing glances, but he doesn't look back to see if she's still with him. He knows she is, because she had found Luke Skywalker, and she would be damned if that work went to waste.

He still doesn't speak when they reach their destination, not because he doesn't want to, but because he is unsure if he can. He hasn't spoken to another soul in… so many years, too many years. His only communication has been with the living Force, a troubled mistress as of late. He had managed to contact old Ben, not an easy feat. It was he who had reminded Luke of the girl, the girl who stood in front of him now, the innocent one he had left behind.

"So," The girl speaks. "You're Luke Skywalker?"

He nods, pressing his lips together, before parting them and speaking, the words slow to escape, but so freeing once they did. "I am."

"I'm Rey." The girl held out a hand.

"I know." Luke sighed.

She examines him, he can see the surprise in her face, even as she buries it within a collected mask. She had Han's mannerisms, and his own Force potential. Luke recognizes the same potential , that ran through him even when he was the nephew of a moisture farmer on Tatooine, the same potential that permeated her cousin. Yes, he knows her still.

"How?" Rey narrows her eyes.

"It is a long story, for another time." Luke waves her question away. "Now," He fingers the lightsaber in his hand, the one he'd forgotten he'd been holding. "There is another purpose for your journey is there not? You wish to be trained?"

"You have to come back!" Rey bursts out, startling him. "The resistance, they need you."

Luke hums, feeling his body relax even as his mind whirred in a thousand different directions. Going back. Could he really? He wanted to. Oh how he desperately wished to see his sister again, see Artoo, and C-3PO, see how Dameron was holding up, his old friends, but there was another side waging war within him. There was still a part of him that remembered the boy, the betrayal and the pain, and most of all the objective of the First Order, that the boy now helmed. They'd see him dead, and if he went back with Rey, if he saw Leia and 3-PO, if he showed his face, his presence would surely destroy them all. Unless... he trained Rey first.

* * *

Rey watched him, waiting for an response. She had finally found him, the purpose of all of their searching was standing in front of her. She didn't know how to feel. She didn't know who he was. All she had heard were the stories, and yet… there was something familiar that she couldn't seem to lose. She saw the pain in his eyes and knew that there was a lifetime's worth. Why else would you hide away from those you claim to care for unless you were caring… from a distance?

"No." His reply came out rough. Rey could hear the emotion in his voice. Whatever had caused him to turn his back must have been overwhelming.

That single word caused Rey to clench her fists. "So, what? All this was for nothing?"

Luke shook his head. "I'll help you...by training you." He held out the hilt. "I make no promises of returning."

She stared as the weapon was held out to her. She had made the trip to return the lightsaber to him, to convince him to come back with her, but Rey couldn't deny it. She was curious about this power, the power that had let her escape Kylo Ren. Would it really be such a bad idea to let him train her? Perhaps, if she did, she could manage to convince him. She grasped the hilt, not taking it from him, but simply making an oath. "Fine."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Okay, so this fic is going to, as I said explore some theories I have about what happened prior to episode 7. It will focus on Rey and Luke, with a bit of exploring of Luke's past. He will be remembering during his time with Rey and some information will come to light about them both. I will be going back and forth between the past and the present, using what we know from the film and my own imagination to hopefully provide an interesting story and a possible explanation for Luke's absence and just how Rey ended up alone among other things.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: The second chapter is ready. To answer a question posed in a review, everyone will most likely make an appearance including Finn, whether in flashback or present day. Just to reinterate, Star Wars is not, nor will it ever be mine. The only thing I own related to Star Wars is a bluray box set. Italics denotes flashback sections or character thoughts. Without further ado...**_

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

As she looks around the house, Rey can't help but wonder more about this man. There is very little one could consider personal artifacts: a simple table and a few chairs, one of which she sat in now, a kettle which was half rusted that sat boiling away as the man fiddled with his back to her, simple beige colored walls devoid of any kind of adornments and two or three windows covered with heavy brown curtains that shaded out most of the light except that which was provided by a nearby set of candles. "How long have you lived here?" It's a simple question, but she sees his back stiffen, his shoulders drop.

"A long time." His answer is short, but the words are drawn out into a sigh. He turns again to face her holding a mug which he places in front of her. Luke sits in the second chair across from her. "The first thing you need to know is that the Force is not something to be controlled. It is a part of life itself, and just as unpredictable as any being you have ever and will ever come across." A shadow crosses Luke's face, but just as quickly it is gone. "It isn't something you should fear. It's our job to respect and understand it."

Rey sees Luke looking at her, but his expression is further away. Clearly he is elsewhere. "Luke…"

His eyes are glassy as he blinks. "Sorry." He shakes his head before getting to his feet. "Do you want to come for a walk?"

The question catches Rey by surprise, but she stands as well following Luke silently out the door. She would confront him later.

* * *

Luke watches Rey out of the corner of his eye as they walk side by side. Saying those words again was something he never thought he would do. He never thought he would take another student again, much less Rey. His heart aches as he watches her keeping perfect pace with his own much longer strides. The Force had given him a second chance, so why wasn't he taking his own advice? _You won't be able to stop it_. The voice in his head sounded so much like him, jeering, mangled by the darkness as he had stood in the center of that great hallway holding one of the children at lightsaber point, saying the exact same words. Luke steadied his breathing, reaching out to the Force, feeling its presence, feeling her presence as the voice dissipated. This planet held so many ghosts, demons reaching out with precision knowing exactly where to strike. "Come, this way." Luke continues forward, taking the familiar winding path he had taken so many times before.

"You haven't said where we're going." Rey says. " _Are_ you going to tell me anything?"

He allows himself a small secretive smile, letting her see it before he shakes his head, moving aside a pile of tall grass so that she can get through, and her face when she does see what's in front of them says it all. The expanse is great, and the ruins practically glitter. The stone arch that was once the entrance to the temple has somehow survived, and as Rey steps forward, Luke can feel the questions running through her head, almost as surely as he can feel his own memories, long buried, surfacing.

He remembers the day Leia called him, as if it were yesterday, back when he was working on resurrecting the Jedi. Back then, he had only about seven students with more coming every day.

" _Luke, I need your help." Leia's voice came out tired, more tired than he had ever heard her. Parenthood could do that he knew. He watched his little girl playing with a toy ship. Sensing her father's gaze, she looked up with a grin._

" _What's wrong?" Luke turned back to the comm. "Are you guys okay?"_

" _It's Ben."_

" _What's going on?"_

" _He's upset."_

 _Luke could hear something in his sister's tone. Was she… afraid? "Leia," He started._

" _Please, just come!"_

 _Just like that, the room was silent as the connection broke. Luke sighed as he rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand._

" _Daddy," Luke heard Rey's voice, felt the tug on his tunic. "Why are you mad?"_

 _Luke laughed in spite of himself. "Daddy's not mad Princess." He lifted his daughter onto his lap._

 _She pointed to his forehead which was wrinkled in concentration. "Yes."_

" _No." Luke poked her in the chin, letting his finger wiggle underneath as she burst into giggles._

" _Stop!" The girl protested._

 _Luke shook his head as her tiny hands wrestled with his larger one trying to stop the tickles. He relented as they both recovered catching their breath. "Come on, we're going to visit Aunty Leia."_

" _Yay!"_

"Why did you bring me here?" Rey turns to him.

"It's only right." He sits cross legged. "This is where it all began."

"The First Jedi Temple." She sits beside him. "But… it's just a bunch of old ruins."

His mouth quirks as he hands her the lightsaber, the lightsaber she had refused to take before they left the hut. "Sometimes history is just as important as skill."

"Alright." Rey smirks taking the weapon. "So, what history do I need to know?"

Luke shakes his head. _So much more than I can tell._ Aloud he says, "You know about the Jedi." As Rey gives a small nod he continues. "The Sith Lord Darth Vader ensured they were all but extinct. In his youth, he played a role in the Great Jedi Purge. He was instrumental in wiping the Jedi from the face of the galaxy." Luke struggles to keep his face neutral as he remembers his father.

"But, then, how were you trained?"

"Some survived." Luke said. "Hiding in obscurity. The point is… Kylo Ren sought the very same as Vader, seeking to carry on his legacy. His goal is to eliminate every last Jedi, but…" He shut his eyes taking a deep breath before opening them again. "He is headstrong, still unbalanced. His knowledge of the Force is as a weapon not as…"

" _A part of life itself."_ Rey repeats his earlier words back to him. "So, Kylo Ren isn't trained?"

Luke doesn't answer as his gaze locks onto a point in the distance. Rey sighs remembering what Kylo Ren had told her during their fight. He had offered to train her. Of course she had ignored him, ignored it completely, but if he wasn't trained why would he have said that?

"His training is incomplete. That's your advantage."

"So, where do we start?" Rey starts to get to her feet. She'd already beat him once. If she could convince Luke to come back after he trained her, the First Order would crumble right along with Kylo Ren.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So... what do you think? More will be answered I promise. As for Rey's age in the flashback, I imagine she's around four years old. Same goes for Ben. Any suggestions, questions, thoughts on the Force Awakens. Drop em in a review. I'd love to hear from you. And may the Force be with you.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Alright, chapter three is ready. My inspiration is on an uphill. Can you tell? Alright some tidbits for this chapter, we get some insight into Rey as her first lesson with Luke begins. And how does it go? Read on.**_

* * *

 **Chapter** **Three**

Rey almost regrets asking the question. She stands in the center of the ruins, a white rag covering her eyes. Of course Luke had told her very little instead instructing her to stand, pointing to a random spot, with patterned stone tiles and telling her to blindfold herself. "I don't see how this helps anything!" She shouts, feeling the emptiness around her. There was no answer. Great. He'd left again. Rey felt a pulling in her chest, not being able to see was terrible. "Luke!"

For the first time since she had first seen the lightsaber, Rey found herself thinking about that time, when she was just a little girl left on Jakku with a promise. _I'll be back._ The claustrophobia doesn't help matters. She remembers hiding herself in a series of tight spots sometimes for weeks at a time, peeking through the small cracks in between the caves and abandoned remains, not feeling safe enough to go anywhere, do anything. Then she had been found by the head of a ring of scavengers. He was impressed by her size and speed. She was just glad to be able to breath in fresh air.

"What am I supposed to do?" Rey shouts again knowing before the last word leaves her lips that she wouldn't get an answer. "Damn!" She makes to kick the stone at her feet before she remembers her position, and winds up falling backwards onto rubble. _That's what you get for trusting this guy Rey. A sore back._ Rey inhales, closing her eyes in spite of the blindfold. If she could just calm down and wait it out maybe he would come back. She would make up some fake lesson she had learned later, after she cursed him out. That's when she feels it, at the edge of her consciousness, just like when she was facing Kylo Ren. The feeling of calm, well not quite calm, but more like something before her present and breathing. She could hear the wind clearer whistling through the grass that they had come through. She could feel the pain and the fear of whoever had been here before her. Something terrible had happened, something beyond description. She only has the vaguest sense, but still it grips her like a vise. She struggles to her feet, bracing against the ground as she stands. And then, she feels another presence behind her. She turns remembering the lightsaber that Luke had given her before this started. It activates without much coaxing as she feels a firm but gentle blow against her shoulder.

"You can take off the blindfold now Rey." Luke's voice.

She rips it off glaring as she rubbed her shoulder. "What's the big idea huh?" Luke stands in front of her holding a wooden staff, similar to her own.

"You have to rely on senses other than sight. Become comfortable relying on the Force to guide you." Luke's expression didn't change much. The only noticeable difference was the wrinkle in his brow, a slightly worried crease, but it doesn't fool Rey for a second.

"And you had to leave to teach me that?" Rey scoffs. "I already used the Force once. I don't have to learn how!" She turns already walking the way they came, flattening the grass with her footfalls. "I'll see you at the house."

* * *

Evidently he had lost his touch. Luke laughs to himself. The sound is self-deprecating, grating to his own ears. He of all people should have remembered. He'd had all manner of pupils in his time, been a student to two very different masters with two radically different styles, but both Old Ben and Yoda seemed to take his concerns into account. They also had gotten to know him. He may think he knows Rey, but that little girl with Genna's eyes had to grow up without him. He has lost the right to assume he knows her a long time ago. "Seems to be a pattern of yours Skywalker." Luke says to himself. He remembers the day that pattern began to take shape.

" _I got here as fast as I could." Luke puts Rey down and watches as she waddles over to C-3PO._

" _I wanna go with Daddy!" A wail could be heard. along with a massive clatter._

" _Ben! Knock it off." Han's sharp response._

" _Oh! Master Luke, it's just awful." C-3PO said. "Han was trying to leave to make a delivery and Ben hasn't given your sister a moment's peace. He…"_

 _Another large crash as Rey clapped her hands over her ears._

 _Luke nodded. "I can see that. Thanks 3-PO." He took a deep breath before he walked into the room._

 _He ducked as a plate nearly missed his head. As he surveyed the room, he noticed the boy glaring daggers through his tears as his stuffed Wookiee floated next to him. The toy was about three feet off the ground, and plates were flying like discs aiming themselves at Han, one after the other. It was as though… Luke closed his eyes feeling the discontent immediately. It couldn't be though._

" _Luke!" Han sighed from his position behind the counter. "Thank god you're here kid. Maybe you can talk some sense into him."_

 _Luke looked from Ben to Leia who crouched beside Han. She kept looking over at Ben who it seemed was losing strength from his crying. His wails turned to sniffles and the Wookiee doll drifted into his arms. Brother and sister exchanged glances as they both stood walking over to the boy._

" _Ben, sweetheart, look who came to visit."_

 _The boy looked up through wide eyes, having evidently expected some sort of punishment. "Uncle Luke?"_

" _Hey Ben," Luke crouched. "Heard you've been giving your parents a hard time."_

" _Daddy's leaving an' he won't let me go with him." Ben heaved out the explanation through the last of his sobs._

" _I see." The corner of Luke's mouth lifted in amusement. The kid's devotion to his old man could put any youngling in the galaxy to shame. He saw Leia smiling behind her hand. . "Why don't you tell him that instead of using him for target practice. What do you think?"_

 _The boy's eyes grew even wider as he finally seemed to register the broken pieces around him. "I…but I didn't wanna Uncle Luke. Honest!"_

 _It was as he had suspected._

That was the beginning of the end, although he hadn't known it at the time. With Rey, he has the advantage of hindsight. Maybe, just maybe he can do it the right way this time. He holds the staff out in front of him, nodding his confirmation once. He could talk to her, and maybe they could learn from each other.

* * *

 _ **A/N: And so the angst begins. Haha. Let me know what you think. Any other ideas for how Luke could train Rey? Leave them in a review and they may come into the story. :) So how do you like it? Please tell me, suggestions welcome and encouraged for what you would like to see and how I can improve. The more specific, the more I can improve and make this story as awesome as it is in my head. Next time: Luke tries to talk to Rey, and in the land of flashbacks, Luke talks to Leia and Han about Ben. Also in present day, Luke reflects on Rey's mother.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Chapter Four is ready. This was a fun one. Just a quick note. I did change the title. There are a lot of fics titled Legacy in this category, and I actually think this title fits better. But this is still the same story and will follow the same path as I intended from the start. I don't own Star Wars, just my OC's and my ideas. Thanks for the great response to this story. I was a bit nervous to start this, but I'm glad I have. Thank you for your support!**_

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

Luke walks into the house to see Rey sitting at the table staring at a speck on the wall. He sighs walking over to the small stove before he speaks. "Is soup okay?" He cringes. Way to start a conversation.

"Fine." Rey replies, still not looking at him, but he can see her eyes exploring the house looking for a sign of who Luke Skywalker is. He smiles in amusement. She wouldn't find it in the kitchen. He can also tell she is uncomfortable. This simple fact never changed. She still hates sitting still.

"Rey," He lets out a breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

At first, he doesn't think she hears him, but then he sees a rise and fall in her shoulders, a shrug. "You're my teacher right? Why should you care?"

There's no venom in her words, only an exhaustion. Apparently his little exercise had taken a lot out of her. Again, Luke's own inexperience weighs on him. He hadn't taken another student in so long. He forgot how sometimes it was necessary for the lines to blur, especially for Rey. He sits across from her. "That is exactly the reason. Tell me how I can help."

Her head shoots up as she turns to face him. For the first time, he sees something different in her eyes, unguarded surprise. "Don't leave again." Her voice is low, barely audible if he hadn't been listening for it. Directly afterwards she stands and moves to the opposite side of the room.

"You've got it." He says these words without her eyes on him. He'll say them even if she is no longer listening because he considers this progress, and he'll take it happily.

" _Daddy, Drydrrl's beating me." Rey pouted as she looked across the game to where Ben sat with his trusted stuffed Wookiee as they played a holonet game._

 _The adults exchanged a look as Han bit his lip to keep from laughing at a very distant memory involving a certain droid._

" _You're such a baby Rey-Rey!" Ben said. "Daddy tell her!"_

" _I'm two months older than you." Rey replied._

" _Alright you two." Leia said._

" _There's only one way to settle this." Luke said. "Let the wookiee win."_

" _Ha!" Ben stuck his tongue out._

" _But…" Rey sighed._

" _Next round, Drydrrl sits out, got it?" Han said._

" _He's okay with that." Ben nodded. "Sorry Rey-Rey."_

 _Rey nodded, tongue jutting out as she planned her next move._

 _The adults turned back to their whispered conversation._

" _So, what you're saying is that Ben's Force sensitive?" Leia raised an eyebrow._

" _It's the only explanation." Luke said._

" _Wait a minute…" Han shook his head. "You mean he can feel that mumbo jumbo like you and your old man?"_

 _Leia's concerns were more immediate as she frowned at the mention of Vader. "Luke, will he…?"_

 _Luke understood his sister's concern. Even after Vader's death, she still could never quite connect with their father, with the idea of Anakin Skywalker. To her, he would always be Vader the monster, the black mark of their family name. It was only natural, she'd be concerned about Ben. With his temperament, it was valid. " No. I'll train him myself. He'll be safe Leia I promise."_

" _What are you two going on about?" Han stared between the two siblings. Even after all this time, he still felt out of the loop when it came to the Skywalker twins, but one look at Leia's face and he knew. "You're not saying…" He pushed away from the table as he stood and walked out the door. It slammed as the kids, still playing on the floor flinched._

" _Daddy…" Ben's voice was small as he stared at the door, still swinging._

 _Rey looked over to Luke as she hugged her cousin from behind. "S'okay Benny. Daddy's gonna make Uncle Han feel better."_

 _It is these words from his daughter, the comfort that the cousins are providing each other that propels Luke out of his chair and out the door after his friend without a word to Leia._

Rey waits until Luke is busy with the soup. She notices that he keeps sneaking glances as he stirs, so it will be hard. She begins to move inching toward the door. Luke doesn't seem to notice, more likely he doesn't care. Rey knows words are a dime a dozen, so despite all that he says, when it comes down to it they're just words, bantha fodder to get her to sit and be still and not cause any trouble, so he wouldn't have to face himself, and the fact that he left his friends when they needed him. Well, she would make him, and she knows exactly how to do it.

She closes the door, wincing as it clicks before she breaks into a run toward the Falcon, praying it is where she left it and that this planet is as deserted as it appears.

* * *

Luke shakes his head at the door which is barely shut. He knows where she's going, no doubt to find Artoo and Chewbacca. He had sensed their presence on the Falcon as he had watched it fly in. The question becomes will she stay or will she fly off? Luke has no way of knowing, but what he does know is that she is angry, and anger has a way of making even the most illogical choices seem smart. It is this moment that he remembers Genna. It is at this moment that the pain hits its peak.

 _He had met Genna two years after Endor. She was a server at the cantina where Han had his bachelor party, the party he had insisted he hadn't needed. They were quite a sight: a six foot tall wookiee, two droids, a Jedi and a former smuggler seated at the round table. Genna had been their server. She was petite, Chewbacca dwarfed her, but unlike so many Luke had come across, she didn't seem shocked. After a few drinks, Han was blabbing about how Luke was the greatest Jedi ever known and had defeated the Empire and his daddy issues all in one swoop._

" _Really?" The girl raised an eyebrow turning her gaze to Luke. "You don't seem the type."_

" _Oh yeah." Han slurred as he clapped Luke on the shoulder. "This guy… he's a real master y'know. Turned their minds to putty with 'is jedi mumbo jumbo."_

 _R2-D2 bleeped._

" _I don't rightly know Artoo." C-3PO replied. "Oh! Oh Dear, Master Luke!"_

 _Within seconds, Han was slumped across Luke's lap, passed out._

 _Chewbacca growled as he stood from his seat and cradled Han._

" _Chewie, where are you taking him?" Luke said._

 _The wookiee growled._

" _The sink?" Luke's eyes went wide. "Chewie!"_

 _But he was already walking away toward the Cantina's kitchen._

" _Kriff!" Luke groaned slumping his head onto the table._

" _Quite a character that one." The girl laughed. "I'll bet you've had quite the adventures."_

" _That's an understatement." Luke replied. "Oh! I'll just go and get them out of the kitchen." Luke hurried to his feet stumbling._

 _The girl snorted. "Nah, don't worry about it. Kilgor sees it all the time. Believe me, this is the most action he's gotten in a week since that hutt and the bounty hunter almost vaporized each other."_

 _Luke winced. "Rough place?"_

" _Let's just say, there's a reason the security has five arms." The girl sighed. "Where are my manners? I never got your name and I'm already unloading about my job."_

" _Luke," he said holding out a hand. " Luke Skywalker. What's yours?"_

" _Genna." She smiled. "Genna Orrere."_

"Genna," Luke sighs. "What am I supposed to do?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Okay, just a few notes. Drydrll is Ben's name for his toy. Genna Orrere is my OC and is Rey's mother. Kilgor is another OC, a walk on character and a worker at the cantina. We may meet him later. Next chapter, Rey at the Millennium Falcon, Chewie and Artoo, Luke going after her, in flashback Luke talks to Han, and in present day a visit for Luke. Who will the visitor be? Leave your guesses!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Hello, chapter five ready. Before we begin, just a note, it was brought to my attention that the age difference between Kylo Ren and Rey is actually that Rey is around nineteen and Kylo Ren is around 29-30. For the purposes of this story, they are the same age, so I guess this could be considered an official AU for that reason :) Little mistake on my part, but we're cool right?**_

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

As soon as she feels the cool metal of the dash, she is at peace, more at peace than she's been since she disembarked and handed Luke Skywalker his weapon.

 _Bleep bloop EEE!_ The little R2 unit buzzes and beeps asking after his master.

"He's not coming." Her answer is short, tempered.

 _Hoo-ZZZ, bloop._

"Yes." She grabs the controls as Chewbacca gives her a questioning glance. "Oh don't give me that!"

 _Whaa eeep!_ The droid's buzzing almost resembles a scream, pure panic as he feels the engine starting..

Chewbacca growls, reaching over and lifting her hands away from the controls, taking over and hitting a series of switches as the ship goes idle, and the engine turns off.

"Chewbacca!" Rey shouts.

The Wookiee's eyes say it all. _I will rip your arms off before I let you do something stupid like leave_. That's probably an accurate translation in basic, Rey thinks.

"Well, why should I stay?" Rey snaps. "Luke doesn't care. If he did…"

Chewbacca raises his furry brow as R2-D2 beeps, a frantic and long series, without even the droid equivalent of a breath.

Rey listens, her expression softening as Artoo explains about his first meeting with the man when he was no more than a boy around her age, and how he would help everyone he came across, even cutting his training short when his friends needed help. "That doesn't sound like him." Rey says, but even as the words leave her mouth there's something nagging at the back of her mind. _That's because you didn't give him a chance you idiot._

She is pulled out of her thoughts by a loud and boisterous growl from the Wookiee as he stands from his seat and crosses the ship. She looks up and over to see the man himself, being crushed in a furry embrace.

She purses her lips as R2-D2 gave a long low series of beeps. She knows what he's saying without much thought. _Told ya so_.

* * *

It hadn't taken too much time to determine a course of action. Luke goes after her. He stands out of view for a while, listening as his old friends try to talk Rey out of leaving. He almost falls as the ship makes to take off and then crashes down with a large boom. Chewbacca must have taken the controls. He feels tears pricking the corner of his vision as Artoo recounts at least some of their adventure, the little astromech as loyal as ever even after all of this time. This is when he decides to make his presence known, stepping forward and walking up the ramp of the Millennium Falcon. It isn't long before he is nearly barrelled down by an armful of wookiee.

"Missed… you too… Chewie." Luke rasps out. He slaps his friend on the back, a little harder than necessary, as Chewbacca releases him regretfully with a muffled roar of apology. He steps further in and is blown away by how similar everything seems. He can imagine himself once again that young boy being led onto the ship for the first time. Even the back row of seats are the same as they once were. Chewie herds him in, grabbing him by his arm and Rey by hers, and seating them across from each other.

"Here we are then." Luke can't help but shake his head in amusement.

"Here we are." Rey lifts her head, shooting daggers Chewbacca who was now at the pilot's seat chattering away rather deliberately with the droid.

Luke observes the girl with her arms crossed, mouth turned downward in a frown. Her expression radiates indifference, but he can see a glimmer in her eyes. She is curious. He can use that. "You have questions."

"So do you." She smirks. It is a challenge. This is good.

"Together then." He says waving his hand. "A question for a question."

She leans forward. "I'll go first. How do you know so much about Kylo Ren?"

Luke freezes as his eyes glaze over. So much like Rey, to shoot for the heart of the matter. He chooses to answer with a half truth. "He was an apprentice in the Jedi Temple, a long time ago."

Rey squints. He knows she is turning the information over in her head, piecing it together with what she already knows. She opens her mouth to ask something else, but remembers. "Your move."

He contemplates what to ask. There is so much that he wants to know, but settles instead for something arbitrary, afraid, he admits to himself, of scaring her off. He looks to Chewbacca and Artoo. "How can you understand Chewie?" He knows it's a silly question, fortunately it is what he's going for.

She raises her eyebrows. "That's your question?" As he nods, she continues. " Alright if you really want to know. Back on Jakku, I saw a lot of different people, picked up on a lot of different languages. Had to…" She shrugs. "Only way to know if someone was trying to kill me. Survival."

His mouth quirks up in a close-mouthed smile. "You're resourceful."

Rey sits a little straighter at the compliment. "Thanks. So, why haven't you tried to reach out to the resistance anyway, why leave them hanging?"

Luke shakes his head. "Another time."

"You have to answer." Rey's eyes flame.

"I can't." he sighs.

"Can't or won't?"

Check...mate. Luke looks at her for a long while. He is almost certain his face is a dead giveaway, but Rey's, Rey's is probing. _You'd make a good interrogator._ Out loud he says. "Dangerous. It was dangerous."

"And?"

"And, that's all there is to it." Luke stands suddenly walking toward the ramp that leads out of the ship. "Are you guys going to come back?"

Artoo whistles as he follows. Chewie shakes his head growling.

"Chewie's going to stay with the Falcon." Rey translates.

"I assumed as much." Luke smiles tapping Chewbacca on the arm. "It's good to see you my friend."

As they walk back toward the house, Luke lets his mind wander. Being in the Falcon again brought up many memories, one in particular that he'd rather have forgotten, one of his last exchanges with the man he called his best friend.

 _He found him outside, staring at this planet's red hot sun as it set. Luke can see that Han is upset. He can tell by the way Han is leaning, elbows bent, arms putting slightly too much weight on the porch rail. His legs are crossed, an attempt at indifference, but Luke sees through it, because he's the one that made such an act necessary._

" _Han,"_

 _Han turns raising an eyebrow. "If you're going to tell me that it's for the best, don't bother Luke."_

 _He doesn't realize how much it hurts until he hears his name. It's not like Han ever made it a habit, choosing instead jabs, plays on his Jedi status, the inaugural "kid" that still makes the rounds even all these years later. It is this that makes Luke realize how difficult this is going to be. His nephew's safety, his family's safety, had never been such a hard choice for him before. "I won't." he said. He placed his elbows against the railing as he watched the scene. A burst of color finds its way into the sky as the sun glimmers and disappears for its sleep. He finds himself talking, trying to fill the space. "Ben… he's meant for something. I don't know what that is, but this Force sense was given to him for a reason." He isn't sure whether he's justifying his earlier words for his benefit or Han's, but it's something that has to be done. As Han's mouth forms a line, Luke's words come out soft. "Nothing happens without a reason."_

" _So you're going to take him, because of some reason that might not exist?"_

" _No." Luke shook his head. "Believe it or not, I'm trying to help him."_

" _By taking him away from us?" Han shouted. "Oh yeah, that's real helpful!"_

" _Han, just let me-"_

" _No," Han sighed. "Just… just leave me alone kid, okay?"_

 _As he watched Han walk away toward the Falcon that was parked and ready for fiddling, Luke couldn't help but wonder what he had hoped to accomplish._

If he had to answer that question that Rey had asked, Luke thinks that the reason he didn't go back could be connected to that day. After that day, nothing was the same, for Luke, for Leia, for Han, for Ben or for his little girl. He wonders if anything would have turned out differently if he had given it a few more days thought, if he had stopped Han that day instead of going back into the house, if he hadn't just assumed it was another one of his friend's manageable moments that could be forgotten with a bit of tinkering.

He closes his eyes, expelling the feelings, putting them to the back of his mind and letting them dissolve into the Force. Rey needed his help. There would be time for reflection later. Now, action was necessary.

* * *

"Why are we going back to the house?" Rey walks beside Luke watching the man. She wonders if she had pushed too hard. Luke's steps were brisk and he appeared, for all purposes to be lost in his thoughts. "Luke, hello, you in there?" Rey waves a hand in front of his face.

"There is something you have to learn."

Rey rolls her eyes. Why did Luke insist on being so cryptic? "Well, yeah. You're training me, but what is it?"

"Trust." Luke grins before walking ahead, tossing the words over his shoulder. "It starts now Padawan."

Rey tests the strange word on her lips. "What...what does that mean?"

" A long time ago, it was used to describe the trusted student of a Jedi Master."

Rey feels like she's been doused in cold water as Luke's words sink in. _Trusted student_. All at once, she feels that old instinct. She's getting too close, too involved, but how else was she supposed to help everyone? Even though she hates to admit it, she'd grown rather fond of the strange crowd that she had met over these weeks: Han, Chewie, Leia, Finn, Poe, BB-8, and even old Luke Skywalker as mysterious as he is. It would be a dishonor to Han's memory to leave now. Somehow she realizes this. She knows he respected Luke, she knew it when she had heard him mention the man when they had first met. If she abandoned him now, just when he made this admission, this, dare she think, vote of confidence, how was she going to face herself? How would she face them?

"I like the sound of that." She gives a small smile. "So, do I get to call you Master now?"

"It's only fair."

As Luke answers, Rey feels a burst of excitement, something oddly familiar, but foreign at the same time. _It's really starting now._

* * *

Luke is struggling to keep his mind on the task at hand. Ever since he allowed those gates to open back on the Millennium Falcon, he couldn't keep himself from wandering back to those moments, those times he can't help but regret.

"Close your eyes." His voice is soft. "Tell me what you felt, back at the ruins. Try to feel it now." Keeping his gaze locked onto Rey is the only thing that's keeping him from drifting. She has become his anchor once again, whether she realizes it or not.

"Everything?" She asks. She sounds worried, afraid of reproach.

"Everything."

"I feel…" She sighs. He can see her expression change as her eyes pinch at the brow. "Pain, so much loss. Regret." She tosses her head back. "People… dying. It's terrible." She snaps her eyes open, looking around. Her eyes are wide. She can't even look at him. Luke can see she's afraid. "Don't make me do that again...please."

Luke nods, feeling drained as though he himself had done the exercise. In a way, today, he supposes he has. "You did well. Get some sleep. The door on the left is a spare bedroom, better than the couch.."

She looks skeptical, as if she's not quite sure that she has done well at all, but she takes his directions standing from the table. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Rey."

As he watches her walk down the hall, he sighs turning away toward the window. He closes his eyes allowing himself to fully relax, at last. He doesn't know why he decides meditation would be the proper salve for his buzzing thoughts. He can remember himself as a young Jedi, one who much preferred an active walking meditation on Dagobah or the Rebel base, or a bit of practice with a training remote. The fact that he is sitting as still as he is would leave his younger self in relative stitches. In fact, he remembers he was much like Rey, in awe of what he would find when he reached out to the Force, until Yoda. He remembers both of them: Obi-Wan and Yoda, such gifted teachers. Somehow they were able to take a farm boy and turn him into a Jedi. All he had been able to do was take his nephew and turn him into Kylo Ren. What was to say his daughter wouldn't take the same path? As the thoughts encroach, Luke feels the Force twisting and writhing under his skin. He struggles to find the center, but finds it impossible as the thread grows longer and longer, until he hears a voice that causes him to lose his grip entirely as a glittering blue form takes shape.

"You are troubled my Son."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Oh boy! Well, that's a cliffhanger. How'd I do? What'd you think of Han's reaction, believable? As for some tidbits about what's coming next: the Skywalkers talk, Rey finds something that changes her perspective and leaves her with more questions, and we get a peek at what's going on at the resistance base. In flashback land, we get Leia's perspective. Please let me know your thoughts if you are so inclined. Helps make a better story.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Alright chapter six is ready. Shout-out to**_ ** _knobrien21 who helped with the idea for the middle of this chapter! The idea is yours, thanks for letting me use it! Just a note, once again I own nothing, just my story line. It all belongs to Disney, Lucasfilms JJ Abrams and was the brainchild of George Lucas. Not me, no sir._**

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

Luke opens his eyes, seeing it, but not quite sure if it is real. The Force Ghost smiles sadly down at him. Luke recognizes his eyes, they are the eyes of Vader, the eyes he had only seen once before his father, now and forever Anakin Skywalker, had died in his arms. Though the eyes are familiar, the form is not. Blond hair, so much like his own had been in his youth tousled roughly, a thin but muscular frame, and the clothes simple, earth toned robes. There is no mistaking, this is a Jedi. This is Anakin Skywalker as he had been.

"You recognize me then?"

Luke doesn't know what to say. It takes him much too long to find his voice as the man in front of him watches. "Father?"

"Luke," Anakin steps forward placing a hand on his son's shoulder, an action he knows cannot be felt, not in the traditional sense, but he can see it brings the other man comfort. "You are doing well, better than I ever could have hoped."

Luke laughs. "You haven't been watching these last years then?"

Anakin shakes his head. "I've seen everything, and I am proud of you."

"I abandoned my family when they needed me, I let Ben be taken in by lies, I left my daughter to grow up without a father, my sister has been fighting our fight alone!" Luke sighs. "How is pride an option?"

"Because," Anakin says. "You are fixing it now."

Luke takes in several deep breaths as he centers his thoughts, trying desperately to see the truth in his father's words, but the secret he's keeping from Rey makes it impossible to believe. "Father, how do I start?"

Anakin's face says it all. He knows what Luke means. "Don't wait, don't make the same mistake I did." He smiles as his form begins to shimmer, the blue light growing brighter around him. "Search your feelings. You'll know what to do."

"But… I don't." Luke's voice grows soft. "Father!"

"You will… soon." Anakin's voice is little more than smoke as he fades, the light disappearing in a blink.

Luke stares at the spot where his father had been. He feels the moisture on his cheek as he stands walking to the couch. He doesn't think he can walk past the room where she sleeps. He doesn't want to ruin what progress they've made, but then is it really progress if he is afraid to be honest with her? Even as he stares at the ceiling, he can still feel his father's presence. He remembers the mixed bag of feelings that resulted from Obi-Wan's half truth. Isn't he doing the same thing to Rey? As he falls asleep, he knows it will be anything but peaceful.

 _He is back on the platform, hanging on. Vader stands above him. "Join me."_

 _Again he feels himself falling, just like before, but when he lands, Vader is still there, and he removes the mask. It is Ben staring down at him, just as he remembers him at age 14. "Why can't I see my dad?" The boy ignites his lightsaber, a bright green blade that morphs and twists until it takes on the shape of the blade of the Knights of Ren, turning blood red. "I'm a knight now, just like you wanted."_

" _Daddy! Daddy!" The scene changes again. Ben still stands beside him, but now they are at the temple as a First Order Stormtrooper comes for a shadow version of Luke himself from all those years ago, Rey bursting onto the scene, running toward them._

" _I could have prevented it." Ben seethes. "You know it Uncle Luke!"_

Luke wakes up, breathing heavily noticing that he is clutching the blanket like a life raft. He feels a twist in the Force. Rey.

* * *

Sleep is impossible to find. Rey tosses, punching the pillow, sitting up, slamming backwards. She still feels it pulsing through her. Now that she's made first contact, it's impossible to ignore. The Force is all around her, along with those images: the fire, the boy with such hatred in his eyes, Luke Skywalker, all of those children screaming. _How do I make it stop?_

 _Come see, come see, come, come._ Rey pauses as she hears it, a breathy, slithering hum. It soothes her. She listens as the voice beckons. It doesn't even dawn on her to investigate, until… it does. And then, she is up and out in the hall.

She measures her steps carefully. _Come see, just a little further now._ She doesn't want to wake Luke. _You need to see._ She hopes the floor doesn't creak. As she nears the door, she hesitates, but the buzzing in her head is too great to ignore and she turns the knob.

What she sees is quite obviously a private quarters, this she can tell. It is as sparse as the rest of the house: bed, dresser, small table, and a chest at the foot of the bed. The chest has a keyhole, but the chest is where the feeling is strongest, where she knows she must go.

 _You can open it._ The voice is seductive. _It has the answers._

Rey looks at the chest, touching it with an outstretched hand. It's handmade, a strong wood and the keyhole is a solid gold. It's lost some of its shine, clearly it is older than the care given it would suggest. She knows without seeing any identifying marker that it belongs to Luke.

 _Daddy!_

She's jolted as she hears the shout in her head, as she collapses to her knees, a scene swimming before her eyes.

" _Tell a story Daddy!" She watches. She is in a room similar to this one watching as Luke is sitting on the bed, beside a little girl who holds a toy TIE fighter, hopping up and down making flying noises in between begging for a story. Somehow she recognizes the girl, knows her from somewhere._

" _I don't know." Luke looks to the ceiling. "Are you really tired enough for a story?"_

 _The girl stops bouncing and begins yawning. "Yes. Tell the Death Star Daddy." She curls up closer, reminding Rey of a cat._

" _Really? That one?" Luke sighs. "Don't you want to hear a nice calm one tonight?"_

" _Death Star!" The girl pouts. Rey looks at her closer, gasping as Luke laughs running a hand through the girl's hair._

" _Alright, get under Rey." Luke stands holding the covers as she crawls under disappearing for a minute before she pops up._

" _I had never piloted a TIE fighter before… but your Aunt Leia needed all the help she could get…"_

Rey moves her hand, backing away as if she'd been burnt. "No… it can't be." She finds herself unable to leave the room, her mind brimming with more questions than before. She doesn't know why, but she finds herself crawling into the bed and closing her eyes as she feels the Force present and changing, but somehow, the fire doesn't burn so bright, and the screams don't seem so loud here.

* * *

"General Organa!" Leia gave a sad smile as Poe Dameron stood.

"At ease Commander." Leia says. She looks around the medic's wing, letting her eyes fall last on the boy, designation FN-2187, better known as Finn where he lay on life support. "How is he?"

"Not much has changed, he's still breathing." Poe sighs kicking the leg of the cot in frustration. "If I could get my hands on Kylo Ren…"

Leia is grateful that the pilot doesn't notice her change in expression, too focused on his injured friend. She pictures Han, falling, the last thing he sees his son's face twisted into something unrecognizable. The gasp escapes as she feels the tears come.

"General Organa?" Poe frowns as he puts a hand on her shoulder awkwardly. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Thank you Poe." She wipes her face with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry too." She looks to Finn. "I'm sure he'll pull through. He's a tough kid."

"I know." Poe smiles as he remembers the crash, the fear, and the excitement of seeing him again after thinking he was dead, gone with the wreckage. _You can't die now dammit!_

Leia gives the friends one last glance before she sneaks away, beginning her walk of the base. She nods to those she passes, gives the necessary answers as questions are asked, but the only thing she can think about is Rey, whether she's found Luke, and how much Luke has told her. With thoughts of her brother, of course comes thoughts of her husband and son, and once she's let them pass through her mind, they stick.

 _She saw Luke enter not much later then he had left to go after Han, but something was different. He didn't smile when she looked at him for confirmation, he barely responded to Rey when she asked him to play one of her recent favorite games modeled after their adventures. It was something that would excite him at any other time, but now he just told her to play with Ben, that he had a lot on his mind and wouldn't make a very good playmate as he retreated into the den._

" _Aunty Leia, what did you used to call Uncle Han?" She heard Rey's question, turning to her._

" _Something you shouldn't know the meaning of yet." Leia smiled offhandedly before turning back to the door where Luke had just left and following._

 _She sat on the far end of the couch, putting a bit of distance between herself and Luke. She knew when he was like this that proximity was the last thing he wanted. That didn't mean she wasn't going to talk to him though. "What happened?"_

" _I was wrong." Luke looked at her. "I screwed up Leia."_

 _She raised her eyebrows. She could imagine what Han's reaction had been. She knew Han better than anyone, and if Luke was this uneasy it hadn't gone well. "He'll come around."_

 _Luke looked at her then, straight on. "Do you think it's the right thing, to train Ben? Be honest."_

 _Leia sighed. This was the question she had been dreading. "I don't know." She really didn't. "I don't know a lot about the Force, I don't know whether Ben's sensitive, but I trust you Luke. Han does too. He'll see." She walked over to Luke putting a hand on his shoulder. "This will keep Ben safe?"_

 _Luke nodded. "I would never let anything happen to him. You have my word."_

 _Leia smiled. "That's all I need." They heard the sound of arguing, Leia recognizes her son's impression of Han._

" _I guess the kids need a Jedi huh?" Luke laughed shaking his head._

" _You always managed to keep the peace."_

" _I'm on it." Luke walked away toward the kitchen where the kids were in the middle of their game._

 _Once Luke was gone Leia allowed the tears she had been holding back to fall. It was the truth what she had told Luke, but the other darker truth remained. She wasn't sure her son would be safe at all, and she wasn't sure she disagreed with Han. But she would put her faith in her brother. She had to, otherwise the fear of what Ben was capable of would choke her._

"General Organa!" Leia is pulled from her memory by the shout. "General Organa, the boy is awake."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Okay, so Luke is, for lack of a better phrase being haunted by the past, Rey knows about her relationship to Luke and we got Leia's perspective on the situation with Ben, saw Poe, and Finn is awake! So... thoughts, ideas of what could be next for Rey and Luke. I'm still taking training suggestions for Luke and Rey if you have any ideas that I should put in. Some tidbits for next chapter: Finn questions Leia and vice versa, Rey confronts Luke, in flashback the family dynamic takes a turn and Luke leaves with Ben and Rey. Also fast forward a bit to Ben's training as Kylo Ren realizes what has changed.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Alright, chapter seven up and running. This chapter took a while to get right, as it veered slightly off course of what I had originally planned, but I hope you like it nonetheless. As usual, I own nothing but the plot and my OCs.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

The first thing he does is try to sit up, but the sharp pain and the equipment he is hooked up to send him backwards. It takes him a while to remember, a long while, so he decides the best course of action is to take stock. It's a tent. He's in a tent so he must be back at base. He is lying on a cot and a med droid flies around him poking and prodding. He was wounded. Obviously he was wounded. But it doesn't feel like a blaster wound. Then he remembers, the lightsaber battle, Kylo Ren, Han. Kylo Ren had killed Han. Then he and Rey had went after him. Finn had fought him with the lightsaber, but Kylo Ren had cut him down. The last thing he remembers is falling, and seeing Kylo Ren heading toward Rey. The thought makes him want to move. He finds himself being pushed back down by two sets of hands.

"Easy there. You're still hurt." He sees General Organa standing next to him, looking to the doctor.

"What, what about Rey?" Finn grates out.

"Don't worry about her." General Organa smiles, trying to reassure him, but all it does is make him more anxious. "She's gone to find Luke."

"The map…?" Finn tries. "You found the other piece?"

"That little Artoo unit had it the whole time." Poe says. "Went online almost as soon as you guys got back to base."

 _Well damn!_ Finn grins, almost immediately afterwards it turns to a grimace as he feels the med droid poking. " Kylo Ren?"

General Organa frowns. "We don't know."

"Finn needs to rest." The doctor's voice is firm addressing General Organa and Poe before turning to Finn himself. "Your stitches just got removed. At this point, we can't take any chances."

"Right." Finn and Poe exchange a glance, Finn rolling his eyes. This really sucks.

* * *

Luke wakes up disoriented. It takes him a while to remember the events of the previous night: his father's unexpected Force visit, the nightmare and the change in the Force that had woken him. Something was different. He gets to his feet and walks down the hall, and sees the door to his room open just a crack. The sight that greets him sends a lump to his throat.

He sees Rey curled up on his bed, sound asleep but for slight tremors. She's dreaming. He isn't sure whether they are nightmares. Her face is calm, but for a slight pull of her forehead. He walks over to the bed, pulling the coverlet tighter around her. If she'd moved in the middle of the night, it mustn't have been an easy one. He'd leave her to sleep. His questions could wait.

As he turns to leave, he hears movement. "Master Skywalker!" She springs up grabbing her head as the speed of her movement causes her to bang it against the headboard. "I...I didn't…"

He stops holding up a hand to interrupt her. "It's alright."

She looks at him then. He notices her taking in everything in a way that's somehow different than before. There's a curiosity in the way that she stares as if she can't quite believe what she's seeing. She seems almost childlike in her drowsy appraisal. She looks away quickly, a question on her lips going unasked as she swings her legs off the bed, dropping down to the floor, deliberately on the opposite side. "I shouldn't have been in here. I'm sorry." Her words are clipped, the surprise gone from her tone almost as if it hadn't been there at all. The moment of vulnerability extinguished like a candle.

Luke finds himself disappointed by its sudden disappearance, another opportunity out of reach. As they exit the room, he sees Rey's gaze linger slightly longer than necessary on the trunk at the foot of his bed, the trunk he hadn't opened since the day he had lost everything. Even as he leaves the room behind, his mind wanders back to two of the items that are sealed inside, and once again he finds himself at a loss.

" _Why can't Mommy and Daddy come with?" Ben glanced over the head of Drydryll to where Han stood on the porch next to Leia. "If I'm gonna be a Jedi, I want them to see."_

" _Mommies and Daddies get scared too easily!" Rey's answer came out before Luke could formulate a response. "You wouldn't be able to learn nothin'."_

 _Ben's shoulders slump, but soon he's firing back with a response of his own. "Guess that's why you ain't a Jedi yet Rey-Rey. Uncle Luke's too scared to make ya one."_

" _That isn't true!" Rey snapped. "I just don't got the 'bility right Daddy?"_

 _Luke doesn't answer. Truthfully he doesn't know whether Rey's sensitive or not. Whatever ability she might have hasn't come to the fore, but, he thinks, Ben might be right. If Rey did show a sign, would he really have the courage to train her? He turns to the porch where Han and Leia are standing and decides then. "Han, Leia!" He grabs Ben's hand as he walks the boy to his parents._

 _Han gives Luke a puzzled look. "Kid?"_

" _I need a few minutes to get the ship ready." Luke is surprised by how easily the half-truth slips out, but the smile on Ben's face is enough for him to know he did the right thing._

 _As he turns away he can hear some of the conversation. "You do what Uncle Luke tells you okay?"_

" _Yup." He can hear the sniffle in Ben's voice._

" _Ben, you're gonna be great Kid." Han's advice reaches the furthest. Luke can almost see Han tilting the boy's chin toward him "Give it all you've got. Hey! Don't waste those tears. You don't need them."_

" _But…"_

" _You ain't losin us kiddo. You're gonna be a hero, just like Uncle Luke. Heroes don't cry."_

" _Will I see you again?" Ben's voice is small as he hurries to wipe the tears._

" _You bet!" Han says. "And you know what?"_

" _What?"_

" _I'll bet that you'll have some pretty cool stories just like those games you like to play."_

" _I'll miss you Dad!" The tears come anew as Luke watches the two embrace from afar._

" _You aren't losing us, remember that." Han voice is rough as he lets go and allows Leia to do the same._

" _Go." Leia smiles as she turns her gaze to Luke. Here eyes say it all._ Take care of him.

" _Daddy, come on!" Luke hears Rey calling him from the co-pilot's chair and as Ben comes closer, he sees something change in the boy's face. It's as if in that moment, something important vanished as the reality sets in._

"Luke," Rey's voice brings him out of the memory, back to the present. He notices that she is on edge. He can tell by the way she's holding the spoon. Her knuckles are white, and as she looks at him, her guard is back up, but there is pain behind the steady gaze. He knows that whatever she is about to tell him, whatever she is about to ask, has to be handled carefully or he could lose her. She runs her tongue along her teeth pursing her lips before she continues. "I saw something, last night. If I tell you, will you be honest?"

He nods once waiting for whatever it is, and as she explains he feels his heart breaking. As she finishes, finally looking at him once again, there are tears in her eyes.

"Is it true? Am I your daughter?"

Luke feels the word, such a small word weighing down on his tongue like lead. He nods, and the action pries it loose. "Yes. You are Rey Orrere-Skywalker." His voice is hoarse, almost inaudible under the weight of this admission, buried for so long.

He watches her, hesitates to let the relief that the words bring show, for all he feels now that the truth has begun to be realized, is shame. Even though he has told her, there is still so much more that she does not know. He can easily fill in the blanks, but too much at once could be the very thing that destroys her, that destroys any chance that the resistance has.

"If you are my father," Her voice is level, but it is rising like the kettle on boil. " _Why_ would you leave me?"

As she walks away, not giving him a chance to answer, he puts a hand to his cheek, and feels a single tear. _What have I done?_

* * *

He feels it, a jolt that wakes him and sends him to his feet. He knows Snoke wouldn't approve. He's still recovering from the _beating_ she had given him, but the way that this _presence_ , this unification feels under the weight of the mask, the way the tendrils of the Force taunt him still, it can't be ignored. Kylo Ren feels the pieces clicking into place, but there is one that resists. He knows without much strain that it is _her_ , always the outlier in Skywalker's perfect little destiny, even after all these years. She refuses the name, bucking and caterwauling like a wild Bantha, and without the piece that Skywalker holds so close, still such a scared old man, she will never fully understand. He knows he can take advantage of that. He can remember the day that changed everything for them, it haunts him, the last remains, the ghost of Ben Solo. It is then he realizes while she still lives, he cannot die.

 _It has been a year since the day he had been pulled from his home, and he had received his first lightsaber. It was as bright as emeralds and as vibrant as the forest that surrounded them._

" _Wow! You're a real Jedi now!" Rey squealed pulling him into a hug. It was all the boy could do to raise the weapon, so as not to stun her. Uncle Luke had told him, it was a training weapon, wouldn't do much more than send a light shock, but that didn't mean that it shouldn't be treated with as much care as a real lightsaber._

" _It's so cool!" Ben laughed. "Check this out." He held the lightsaber aloft swinging it as Rey backed away grabbing a stick. The cousins exchanged blows as their laughter pealed through the forest. While Master's away… Ben shrugged to himself. He hadn't been able to spend as much time with Rey as he used to, so he'd take advantage of his Uncle's meditation. He could protect her. He was a Jedi now._

" _Come on Ben!" Rey stuck her tongue out as she hung upside down from the tree. "You can catch Vader can'tcha?"_

 _Ben ignited the weapon, scaling the tree after his cousin. He struck the stick out of her hand. "You have nowhere to go!" But then, as the stick fell, he heard a noise, something metallic._

" _Benny!"_

" _Shh!" Ben covered Rey's mouth with his hand. "Listen."_

" _This planet's crawling with Force Sensitive scum. Find them!" A white helmet. Ben froze._

" _Benny…" Rey pulled her cousin's hand away. "What's that?"_

" _Shut up…" Ben said. As Rey's eyes widened, he held her hand. "It's okay, we just gotta stay…"_

 _Ben felt the branch they were sitting on start cracking. He could barely pull Rey to him before the branch fell and he saw a pale thin figure._ Eyes like death _. Ben shuddered ducking as the figure seemed to see him. See through him._

" _Benny!" Rey screamed as her fingers slipped through his. "Help!"_

 _Ben crouched watching helpless as Rey fell. He closed his eyes. The Force would catch him, he just had to…. fall. He tilted back, holding his hand out, hoping, praying. He felt slender fingers, but they were cold, too cold._

" _A child?" The voice scoffed. Ben slit open his eyes. The eyes like death were staring at him._

" _I'm a Jedi!" Ben shouted. "Let her go!"_

 _The pale figure laughed turning back to where two Storm Troopers held Rey. "Keep her. She may be useful."_

" _Let her go!" Ben felt a wave, he was scared, but he knew he had to help Rey. He closed his eyes and felt the wave expel as the two soldiers crumpled, and Rey fell unconscious._

" _Interesting." The figure let him go, but those eyes still examined him._

 _Ben's throat went dry. He wished Luke were here. "Wha...what do you want with us?"_

" _Tell me," The voice pierced him. "Do you know how much trouble your kind have caused?"_

 _Ben tried to answer, found his voice gone, shook his head._

" _Do you know what your master hides from you child?" As the question fogs up in his mind, Ben sees the eyes light up, like they know, like this ghost actually knows who Ben's master is, and this makes him angry._

" _Master Skywalker tells me everything!"_

 _The ghost figure laughed, full belly clutching laughter that causes him to drop Ben to the ground. Ben takes advantage and begins crawling towards Rey. "How trusting you are young one."_

" _Rey! Rey!" Ben ignores the words, shaking his cousin as he feels tears. "Rey, come on!"_

" _Ben!" Luke's voice cuts through the din. "What happened?"_

 _Ben looks up searching for the figure, finds no sign. Sees only the crunched up stormtroopers next to them. Even so, finds himself explaining through a flood of tears, leaving out the last exchange. He knew Luke was already mad. He could feel it, the disappointment, knew that it was directed toward him. He didn't want to accuse his uncle, knew that the ghost had probably lied, even though it felt like it would choke him._

 _As Luke scooped up Rey, Ben kept his mouth shut listening as Luke lectured._

" _You both could have been killed! Why would you even think coming out here was a good idea?"_

" _Did you see those troopers Uncle Luke? I crushed them." Ben couldn't help the excitement he felt. He had actually used the Force, on something bigger than a pebble or his toys, and he saved Rey's life. She was still breathing. He could hear her._

 _Luke's expression didn't change. He sighed. "It was reckless."_

 _Ben watched wordlessly as Luke opened the door to their house and laid Rey on the couch. He put a hand to her forehead. "Uncle Luke!"_

 _He didn't answer._

" _Uncle Luke, I did save her." His voice was quiet as he took one last look and ran out the door toward the temple. He needed saber practice, and if Luke wouldn't help him, he'd practice himself._

* * *

 _ **A/N: Okay, things are happening now. What do you think will happen with Rey and Luke? This could be the last regularly posted chapter for a while, as I am starting back with classes on Wednesday, but as always, I'm open to feedback, suggestions, and just thoughts on the story. I love reading your reviews. As for a bit of a tidbit for the next chapter: Kylo Ren begins taking advantage of the situation as Luke struggles to connect with Rey in the wake of the big reveal. In flashback, Luke takes drastic action to protect Rey and Ben.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Well, hello! I've survived my first week of classes, and as a celebration... here's chapter eight! There's not as much as I had originally planned, but still, quite a bit happens. I hope you enjoy! As usual I do not own Star Wars.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

It was peaceful. She can almost imagine that nothing had changed, that she was just out on a morning stroll waiting for Master Skywalker to come out and begin their next lesson, until she hears the name in her head: _Rey Orrere-Skywalker_. It jostles and bumps like a pinball machine, and leaves her with a massive migraine, one that this backwater planet's lack of sun, even at high noon, does nothing to alleviate. Her steps quicken, slapping the ground with the sheer force of her anger. The rational part, the part that sounded an awful lot like Master Skywalker, Finn, or Han on a good day, was telling her to stop, breathe, and for kriff's sake just think things through kid, but the other part, the part that wraps around her squeezing her fists shut and making the thwamp in her head grow, pushes her forward through the unknown territory and further and further from her master's, her _father's_ hovel.

 _Did you really think he would tell you anything? That it would be hugs and kisses and warm fuzzies?_

She stops as she hears the voice in her head, it's wrapping around her squeezing and constricting. Now that she isn't moving, it feels like a heart attack or a snake attack… the words cutting off her air supply as she tries to place who the hell is in her head.

 _Shame you don't remember isn't it? Well you should! But, then again… you think I'm dead don't you? I really should be offended by that, but it's quite funny that you think you could kill me._

Then she remembers. It hits her. "Get out of my head you slug!" She shouts, knowing she probably would come across as a head case, but as far as she knows this planet's a ghost town besides Luke Skywalker of course.

 _Oh you are tormented._ Kylo Ren savors the word. Rey swears she can almost hear him lick his lips. _You would make quite the Knight of Ren wouldn't you Rey? It's a mess in here. But of course there is this wall… how did that get there I wonder?_

Rey growls _There's going to be more than a wall if you don't get out now!_

She hears the laughter, ringing through her mind. It drops her to her knees. This is more than a migraine, Rey realizes. This is an attack.

 _Silly girl. You really think pure_ will _is enough this time? You are still untrained. Luck won't save you. I will go, for now. But before I do, I wanted to ask how is your dear old Dad? I haven't seen him in so long. I miss the old man._

"Get… out…" Rey hisses.

 _Very well. Until next time._

And then, she can breathe, barely gasping in enough air as Kylo Ren finally leaves her. But she feels tired… so tired. The grass is so soft, and she doesn't think she can gather the strength to go back. How far had she gone anyway? As she squints she can't see the house, she can't see the ruins. She can't make herself care as her eyes grow heavy. And she dreams.

 _She's sitting in the copilot's chair of a ship. Her feet dangle. She can't touch the floor. She's fighting it, the seatbelt like it's something she has to kill._

" _Take it easy there kiddo." Laughter. She can't make out the face of the man beside her, but she stops. Somehow, this man, whoever he is calms her. "We'll be there soon."_

" _I'm tired." She says. "The belt's uncomfortable!"_

" _The seat's not built for pipsqueaks right Daddy?" A boy's voice. She struggles, turning trying to see who it is, but the boy keeps ducking out of view._

" _You stop that right now." The man says. "Apologize to Rey."_

" _Sorry Rey-Rey."_

 _Something about the nickname jogs her memory, but she still doesn't know who the boy is, even as he looks right at her. His hair is short, spiky and dark, but his eyes. There's something about his eyes. They remind her of someone, someone she's met before. But before she can look at the man seated in the pilot's chair to confirm her suspicions, the scene fades and changes._

 _She's older now, no longer a child, and this time she's at base back at D'Qar. The base is under attack, a full battalion of First Order Troopers are firing_. _Finn is beside her in full stormtrooper regalia. "Skywalker! What are your orders?" She turns expecting to find Luke behind them, but he's behind another barrier, losing air, choking. She sees a boy, no older than fourteen or fifteen, holding a lightsaber, but his hand is clenched as though he is choking someone. It's then she makes the connection. He's choking Luke! "Skywalker!" Finn shouts. His eyes find hers. "What's our next move?"_

" _I'm not…" Her voice is soft. "You should be asking him!"_

 _Finn turns to where the boy and Luke are locked in a battle, a battle the old master is quickly losing. Rey follows his gaze and sees the boy's eyes. They are the same as the boy in the ship, but there is so much anger, so much pain. She doesn't see a child. She sees someone else. The boy sees her too as he turns away from Luke just long enough for him to break away._

" _Rey, don't be afraid." Luke says. "Don't run." And then he falls as a blade cuts his back, the same blade, blood red. Cut down, just like Finn._

 _The boy finds her gaze, at the same moment a black masked figure crouches next to Luke, pulling the blade from his back. Kylo Ren. The boy speaks. "Sorry Rey-Rey."_

* * *

Darkness swirls, biding its time. It is a dangerous game they play trying to keep the darkness at bay. Luke knows this. He's experienced it first hand. It waits for any small crack, and then plants doubt in the same way someone would plant crops on Tatooine. It hides in plain sight striking before it is detected. It takes a special and finely attuned sense to even know it is near. It is a sense that Luke has been sharpening. It is a sense that he is grateful for. He feels it now, taunting and embroiling itself in the very landscape, light and dark interlocking hands, interlocking souls. He realizes now how connected his two Padawans are, past and present. It is a connection much like his and Leia's. Family knows no one path, and one way or another they would meet again. He feels her turmoil, knows that he's caused the chasm. He has to find her. He has to prepare her for what's coming, and undo the damage he has caused.

 _He watched her sleep, turning over and over in his mind the last hour. Luke knew Ben couldn't have gone far, but going after him would mean leaving Rey. He couldn't. He couldn't. He knew something serious had happened. He'd felt the evil presence writhing, but he had been too late. The damage had been done. Ben had held his own. Luke smiled. The boy was bright. He was able to subdue two stormtroopers. This quickness to learn, his eagerness was a blessing as a teacher, but as the boy's uncle, it worried him. What damage had been done? He didn't know. He still wasn't sure what the Stormtroopers had been doing in this area, who they were working for, but it couldn't be good. Ben's curiosity would only get him into trouble. There was only one thing that Luke could do. He would have to deal with this himself._

Luke feels Rey's presence, tapping into an instinct long thought buried as he walks. He remembers a similar episode. The déjà vu of this moment is not lost on him. He doesn't know what he expects to find when he steps into the clearing, but it is certainly nothing like what he does see. Rey lies on the ground, her brow creased as she shakes. As he kneels beside her, he feels the darkness and the light swirling around her, can almost see it manifest around himself. A series of images swim before him and he knows, she is trapped. He remembers his father's words. _You'll know what to do._ And he does.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, the funny thing about this chapter is, it all kind of veered out of my control. I find those are the best kinds though. I had a blast writing this one, and I'd love to know what you think. Also, in case you are interested, I'm trying my hand at an original trilogy AU, that's really the simplest way I can describe it, my own take on a Dark!Luke story. It is called Albatross. I will be working on that in conjunction with this story, kind of an interesting experiment since the two are so different. Anyway, self-promotion over. Tell me what you thought about this! I'd really love to know. Tidbits for next chapter, Luke relives his worst moments as he tries to help Rey, more taunting between Rey and Kylo Ren, and it is revealed whether the wall will be broken down between the two Skywalkers. Meanwhile at the Resistance base, Finn goes against doctor's orders as he and Poe try to find out more about the  
Resistance and the First Order's**_ _ **next moves.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Well, I am back to this story at long last. I saw the Force Awakens again recently and it reignited my muse. I didn't fit in quite as much as I originally said I would, but it is still quite a lot. Hope you enjoy! Still don't own Star Wars. The only characters I own are my OCs.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

Luke walks carefully. It can be said, he thinks, that his pace does not measure the urgency of the situation, but as he carries the girl in his arms, he knows that care takes precedence over haste especially with Rey in this state. She is shivering causing his elbows to shake with her, and her mouth moves in silent protest of whatever it is she is seeing. He is tempted to tap in, a wave of concern overwhelming him.

But he mustn't dwell on such things. He has found her. That is what matters. And once he gets back to the house, he can help her, but for now he has to get them both back in one piece. Even as he knows in the back of his mind that the situation is different now, he still hears the measured and metallic steps of the stormtroopers, sees the blasters pointed at him, feels the unending sorrow and the boy's anger, so much like a blade twisting in his own heart.

 _He walked the familiar path to the temple, carrying Rey gently in his arms. He would drop her to the healer's. It was important that he talked to Ben, apologized. He felt a small grasp on his tunic, an insistent tugging as bleary eyes look into his own. He can make out the mumbled words "Don't be mad...not Benny's...my idea."_

 _Luke sighed shaking his head as a smile found its way onto his countenance. Rey was always concerned about others. She held much compassion for one so young, and he knew that she would take it personally if he didn't sort things with his nephew. She was much like him in that sense. "It will be fine. Rest now Little One." He planted the gentle suggestion._

 _Rey scowled at the endearment, but found herself unable to fight the appeal of a nap in her father's arms, where she felt safest of all._

 _He reached the temple just as the sun was beginning to set. He couldn't figure out why Ben would be here so late, but as he walked the silent halls, he could imagine. It was the same reason, he, as a young man would sneak away from his_ own _uncle, spending countless hours in the garage tinkering with speeders._

" _Master Skywalker," He heard a soft voice, awed. A young boy stood in the hallway. Elikyre, one of the temple's brightest young recruits, and if Luke remembered correctly a friend of his nephew. The boy's gaze drifted to Rey. "What happened?"_

" _Walk with me." Luke nodded. "We will talk on the way."_

 _Elikyre gave a curt nod. "Yes Master."_

 _Luke explained with careful deliberation about how Ben and Rey had been playing when they were attacked. He didn't go much further than that leaving it to the boy to deduce as he spoke to the healer. Despite the look of disapproval he received from the woman, he did not make to shoo the boy away. He left decisions like that to the students themselves. The best learning was done when one was not coddled, an old principle he found when exploring the temple's history, and one that seemed fit to adopt with this group of students. But the question remained. What did a teacher do when that student was also family?_

Luke reaches the small dwelling without any sort of interruptions. He taps the door open with his foot and enters. He only allows himself the opportunity to think in basic actions in an effort to stave the memories: enter the house, place Rey on the couch, remove his cloak (the closest item in reach that resembles a blanket) and cover her still shivering form. He grabs a chair from the small kitchen and sits across from her, closing his eyes. He can't avoid this. He desperately wants to. How can he be the one to break the truth open, after all he had done? It will be cruel. Selfishly ( and it is selfishly) he doesn't want to do it. He doesn't want her to see him any differently. But then, she begins shivering violently. Her head is tossing back and forth, and her eyes shut tighter against something unknown. And he knows now, he has no choice. He places a hand on her forehead tuning into the Force that thrums around them, and he is pulled in almost at once.

 _Rey is now six years old, as eager and as much of an explorer as ever. She is in the healer's nearly as often as some of the most rambunctious Padawans, and has formed a friendship with one of the students, the very same that Luke had talked to the day of the attack._

" _Where's Benny?" Rey is sitting on the temple steps as the boy comes out._

" _The Archives." Elikyre sighs. "He won't come out."_

 _Rey is puzzled. "Daddy said that Benny had to meet him in the garden." Rey couldn't understand why Ben was ignoring what her Daddy said. He was Ben's uncle and his teacher. Wasn't he supposed to do what Daddy said?_

" _Master Skywalker told me to tell him that." The older boy shakes his head. "But he locked me out. Whatever, he's doing in there, he doesn't want me to see. Do you think… maybe he'll show you?"_

 _Rey purses her lips. Elikyre is a big kid, one of the senior students. If he is giving Rey the job Daddy had given him, he_ must _need help. She nods "I'll try Elikyre._ "

" _I'll show you." Elikyre offers Rey a hand, and walks her to a part of the temple that she had never been in. She thinks it's a library. Students are watching holovids, and a few are typing into datapads. A few smile down at her, jibe Elikyre good naturedly._

" _Creche duty again Padawan Dingarr?"_

 _Elikyre just grins, shaking his head in response._

" _Teaching Rey early? Master Skywalker's going to be impressed."_

" _Any of you Poodoos seen Solo?" Elikyre says._

" _He's been in there too long. What if-?" The other padawan stops suddenly, a twi'lek girl. She takes in Rey. The severity of the stare makes Rey want to run and hide. Elikyre gives the padawan a look, the kind that Rey recognizes from when Daddy was trying to get Uncle Han to shut up about something she and Benny weren't supposed to know._

" _What's so bad about it?" Rey asks. Too late, she realizes she probably shouldn't have._

" _Elk," The twi'lek girl shakes her head._

 _Elikyre, for his part, looks torn. Rey tugs on his tunic. "Is Benny in trouble Elikyre?"_

" _You know what Rey?" Elikyre smiles as he crouches in front of her, but it's too wide, too soon. "You go on. I can handle it. Why don't you keep Master Skywalker company?"_

 _Rey frowns. "Are you sure I can't help?"_

" _Just go see your dad. I can take care of Benny, and we'll both see you later, I promise."_

" _Okay. I'll see you later Elikyre." Rey nods. She'd go see Daddy, and maybe he would know what to do about Benny._

* * *

 ** _A/N: So what do you think? What do you want to see? What can I improve? Feedback ignites the muse. Until next time._**


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